Under a sudden ambush, soldiers and mages struggle to protect Mr. Collins as enemy numbers overwhelm them and magic and stamina dwindle. Mr. Collins, furious, signals them to stop attacking; his words are taken as a tactic: feign weakness to lure the enemy's final all-out charge. The unit forms a defensive circle, lets the foe commit, then launches a coordinated counterassault and begins to break the attackers as their stamina collapses. Survivors hail Collins's command afterward, but he quietly confesses he nearly wanted to surrender earlier — a revelation that leaves his leadership under instant scrutiny.